title: Computed tomography evaluation of radiolucent gallstones in vivo.
abstract: Computed tomography facilitates an in vivo classification of gallstones and can aid in the identification of calcifications that escape detection with conventional radiologic procedures. Of patients with radiolucent stones, 54.8% exhibited calcifications either in the form of discrete rims (41.9%) or at the center of the stone (12.9%). Densities of the noncalcified areas of partially calcified stones averaged 40.68 +/- 6.8 Hounsfield units (HU), which was not significantly higher than the average of 31.85 +/- 3.19 HU for noncalcified stones. Calcified regions showed significantly higher densities (240.0 +/- 28.6 HU, p less than 0.001, x +/- SEM). Of the identified stones, 16.1% showed densities greater than 50 HU. These were primarily bilirubin stones, which cannot yet be treated successfully with conservative therapeutic modalities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine II, University of Ulm Medical Center, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Janowitz
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zöller
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Swobodnik
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Wechsler
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Schumacher
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ditschuneit
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed